Cleo Williams and the Lightning Theif
by Cleodora Williams
Summary: In a different world, Cleodora Williams, daughter of Zeus, is the new Annabeth Chase.
1. chapter 1

**Hey, Guys!**

 **This is my first fanfiction, and I am open to constructive criticism. Tell me what you think!**

 **CW**

One Day Before Museum Field Trip. . .

Slam!

I jolted awake, my brain struggling to remember where I was. My algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, was standing over me, a textbook clutched in her talon-like fingers. She wore her characteristic scowl on her face, and she had lowered her gaze. I had fallen asleep in class, again, and she had just dropped her textbook on my desk to wake me up.

"Well, Miss Williams, since you think you are above this lesson, why don't you answer this question?" Mrs. Dodds's shrill voice got rid of any leftover drowsiness as I gazed at the chalkboard, a long list of numbers and letters trailing off. As I gazed at it, the letters seemed to swirl off the board. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"I can't, Ma'am," I lowered my head in defeat. The class erupted into snickers. I had tried to hide my dyslexia in the past years, and no knew. Past teachers and principals had assumed that I just would refuse to answer the questions given to me. They knew I wasn't stupid because if anyone had given me the question verbally, I would've been able to answer it. Mrs. Dodds refused to read the questions out-loud, so I was currently flunking sixth-grade algebra at Yancy Academy.

I tried to shrink back from the judging stares of my classmates, but one boy caught my attention. He wasn't laughing at the others. He was scowling at the board. Not in frustration, but in extreme concentration. I had the same look on my face every time I tried to read. Mrs. Dodds followed my gaze and whirled around.

"Mr. Jackson!" the boy flinched and hesitantly turned his gaze to the woman. "Maybe you can answer this problem?" The boy looked again at the board, and turned back to the angry teacher.

"No, ma'am. I'm sorry," the boy lowered his gaze past Mrs. Dodds to where I was sitting. I slunk back in my seat. The boy held my gaze like a tractor beam, his sea green eyes boring into mine like he could see into my soul.

"It's bad enough I have one who refuses to answer question, but two?" Mrs. Dodds complained, gesturing at the boy and I as the class howled in laughter. The bell rang and I quickly grabbed my back and hurried out of my seat with the others. A hand clenched into my shoulder and kept me from leaving.

"Miss Williams, if you want to pass this class, I suggest that you start answering questions," Mrs. Dodds's voice had a hidden warning in it. I looked in her eyes and they flashed red. I suppressed a shudder as I mumbled a "yes, ma'am," and left. The boy was waiting outside the classroom. He was talking to a scrawny kid with acne and a wispy goatee that I recognized as Grover, the class's adopted "crippled." He walked with a limp and was typically bullied. He was nice enough, but we rarely talked. Grover caught my gaze and nudged the boy from Algebra. He turned around, but I walked towards Latin before he could talk to me.

"Welcome, Miss Williams!" Mr. Brunner rolled towards his desk, a blanket draped over his legs as his wheelchair rumbled over the linoleum.

"Afternoon, Mr. Brunner," I mumbled as I took my usual seat at the back of the class. There was no assigned seating chart in Latin, so students frequently changed seats, but none of them sat anywhere near me. Ever.

"Ah, Mr. Jackson!" Mr. Brunner's cheery voice brought me out of my book. I was shocked anyone was in the classroom yet, considering that I ate lunch in Mr. Brunner's classroom. The boy from Algebra greeted Mr. Brunner and walked towards the back of the classroom and, much to my and Mr. Brunner's surprise, sat and next to me.

"Hey. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Percy," the boy had shaggy black hair that was crazily messed up. He had a perfect tan and wasn't necessarily scrawny, but wasn't ripped, either. He had the troublemaker's smile, and his eyes looked like the sea itself.

"Cleodora," I mumbled, shoving my book in my bag. I know. What's the dyslexic doing with a book? Well, my friend, the book is actually in Ancient Greek, which is the only language I can actually understand.

"Wow, that's a mouthful. Can I call you Cleo?" Percy laughed and his eyes brightened, and I slowly sat up from my typical hunch.

"Do whatever you want, Perseus," I mumbled, taking a bite from my sandwich. Percy froze beside me. I flinched.

"Sorry. I'm obsessed with Greek myths, and he's my favorite," I fiddled with the foil my sandwich was wrapped in.

"No, it's fine, it's just, that's my real name," Percy relaxed a little, but still seemed to be tensed, like a cobra waiting to strike.

"Oh, and my names a mouthful?" I laughed, handing Percy an apple from my lunch. He spun it over his finger, and I realized he played basketball.

"Hey, Percy, in Algebra, when you didn't answer the question, well, forgive my rudeness, but do you have dyslexia?" I said the sentence in one breath and Percy took a moment to digest it.

"Yeah. Dyslexia and AD/HD," Percy seemed to be ashamed to admit this, and I finally started to trust the boy.

"Same. You're the first person I've told, though," I said, taking Percy's hand. He looked at our joined hands in shock and finally smiled. Grover walked in at that moment and cleared his throat. Percy and I let go of each other and blushed, looked everywhere except at the other.

"Am I interrupting?" Grover laughed, his voice bleating. Percy laughed, and I realized that Mr. Brunner had left. The bell rang startling all of us into laughing. Grover sat next to Percy. Mr. Brunner had arranged the desks in a U, and often rolled on the inside of the U during class on terminant days, when he dressed up in Roman armour and sword-point against the chalkboard, challenged students to name every Roman person who ever lived, who their mother was, and what god they worshipped. Students filed into the classroom as I heard shouting outside.

"Nancy! Kiley!" Voices outside the classroom shouted in anticipation, and I realized that there was a fight outside. Percy glanced at me as I shot out of my seat and ran out into the hall. Two girls were struggling around, surrounded by a circle of students, each chanting the name of the girl who had the other girl in a headlock. Nancy Bobofit, the school bully, had started a fight with Kiley Gardener, a popular girl. Now Kiley was purple and gasping for air. I ran into the circle of kids and pulled Nancy and Kiley apart.

"Go!" I shouted at Kiley, and she ran for the nearest classroom, which just happened to be Mr. Brunner's. Nancy pulled back her arm to punch me, and as soon as her fist came flying at me, I ducked and used her momentum to flip her over. Mr. Brunner wheeled through the students and surveyed the scene. Kiley stood next to him, her eye already starting to swell. Nancy groaned from the floor, and I winced. I helped her up.

"Sorry, Nancy," she growled at me, and Mr. Brunner cleared his throat. Now Nancy flinched, and headed off to the Principal's office with Mr. Brunner and Kiley.

"Who is that girl? How did she do that?" Whispers surrounded me as I turned, blushing to head to the dorms. Percy was behind me in an instant.

"How did you do that?" Percy pulled me aside before I climbed the stairs to the girl's level.

"My dad was in the military. He taught me how to defend myself before he died. My mother committed suicide a month later. She told me before she died that I had been adopted, and right after the state of Maryland shipped me to some sister my mother had and she shipped me here," I gesture to the dim hallway, as the afternoon sun went down over the mountain. My ADHD worked like that. If something interesting happened, I felt a few hours pass in a few minutes, but if I was in a fifty minute class, it would feel like six hours.

"Are you going on the field trip tomorrow?" Percy asked leading me back to the stairwell.

"I wasn't aware I had a choice," Percy laughed in response, and we split up as the hallway branched off, one leading to the boys' hallway and one leading to the girls' hallway. I sighed to myself, glad that I had made a new friend.

I walked toward my room, and Nancy Bobofit and her gang of goons stepped out of the shadows. They surrounded me, and I felt the last fleeting glance of hope shrug off my body in waves.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Nancy chuckled, her red hair glinting maliciously in the moonlight.

"Looks like a nerd who has no place stepping into places where she doesn't belong," Nancy chuckled to herself as she tried to punch me. I ducked, but one of her goons hit me from the back, and soon I was being hit from all sides. Nancy clocked me in the jaw, the nose, and my left eye. They left laughing as I crawled into my dorm room, wishing that daylight would come faster. . .


	2. I Accidentally Vaporise My Math Teacher

I sat on a bench in front of the school, underneath the school's largest elm tree. I had a compact mirror, the last gift from my father, in one hand and a tube of bruise ointment in the other. The skin above my left eyebrow was split, and Nancy had busted my lip. I sighed and pulled the hood of my jacket over my face. Percy sat down next to me, and Grover sat down next to Percy. I slightly turned so Percy wouldn't see my bruise.

"Hey, are you alright?" Percy asked, when he noticed my hood. I sighed in response and pulled the hood back.

"Whoa, did you get in a fight with a lawn mower?" Grover laughed, but Percy nudged him and he stopped.

"Nancy Bobofit and her gang of goons happened. They attacked me in the hallway outside my dorm last night," I pulled the hood back over my head, and the bus pulled up. Nancy waltzed past me, her gang of goons snickering behind her. Percy growled some insults, and stood up. Grover and I pulled him back down.

"Don't. You're already on probation," Grover warned Percy and Percy calmed down a bit.

"Why don't you tell Mr. Brunner? He's bound to get Nancy expelled," Percy nudged me toward the teacher, who was reading under the shade of a pine tree.

"It's honestly not as bad as it looks," I pulled the hood off and Grover winced.

"Let me see your arm," Percy looked concerned as I took off my jacket completely, revealing the tank top I wore underneath. I blushed as Percy took in the sight of my bruised arms and neck.

"Alright, class. All aboard the bus," Mr. Brunner called out to the class, who had come through the doors a minute before. I pulled my hoodie back on and joined the rest of the class. I felt someone watching me, and turned and saw Mr. Brunner, his face a mask of fury and confusion as he took in my bruised face. I pulled the hood back up and put in the earbuds the were connected to my iPod, which was the last gift from my mother. Rock music blared in my headphones as I took my seat in the back of the bus. Percy sat in the seat next to me, and Grover sat next to him. I felt something thunk on the back of my head. I turned around. Nancy and her goons were throwing bits of their lunch at me and Grover.

Percy looked ready to jump back and attack something, but Grover stopped him.

"Mrs. Dodds," I looked at the front of the bus, and Mrs. Dodds was there, glaring at us. I slunk back and prepared for a very bad day.

When we got to the museum, I was so happy to on solid ground that I almost cried. Mr. Brunner led us through the tour, telling us about different Greek and Roman pieces. When we came to a sculpture of a man eating something that resembled a baby, Nancy snickered something to her goons. Percy whirled around.

"Will you shut up?!?" It was a bit louder than Percy intended, and the class erupted into giggles.

"Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner had caught Percy's little rant. "Did you have a comment?" Percy blushed.

"No, sir," The class snickered again. Percy's face turned tomato red.

"Then please tell us what this sculpture represents," Mr. Brunner gestured to the statue, and Percy looked relieved.

"That's Kronos eating his kids, right?" Percy heaved a sigh of relief, glad he knew the answer to the question.

"Yes," Mr. Brunner was not impressed. "And he did that because. . ."

"Well. . ." Percy struggled to find the answer. "Kronos was the king god, and-" I nudged Percy. "Titan," he corrected himself. "And. . . he didn't trust his kids who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zues and gave him a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"

"Eeew!" One of the girls behind me shrieked.

"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, not even bothering to look behind him as I did, "and the gods won."

A couple of kids snickered their response.

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like its going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner continued on with his interrogation, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover snickered to the redhead.

"Shut up!" Nancy hissed at him, her face as red as her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

Percy paused as he thought about the question. "I don't know, sir."

"I see," Mr. Brunner turned his chair to face me. "And what about you, Miss Williams? Why does this matter in real life?"

I blushed as the class turned toward me, my bruises lighting up like a giant sign.

"I don't know, Mr. Brunner. It might teach us lessons about how to fight our battles without violence," I honestly had no idea. I just translated as best as I could.

"Incorrect," Mr. Brunner caught my disappointed look. When I answered, it was rarely incorrect. "But partial credit. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge the other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains through Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs and the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

Grover, Percy, and I were about to follow, when Mr. Brunner called Percy and I back. I knew that was coming.

Percy told Grover to keep going. "Sir?" I tried to keep the fear out of my voice.

Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.

"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told us, and I felt shame encour my body.

"About the Titans?" Percy asked beside me, and I felt the urge to hit something.

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."

"Oh." Doofus.

"What you learn from me," the teacher continued, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you. Both of you."

Percy mumbled something about trying harder, and left.

"Watch out for him, Cleodora. He needs you now more than ever," Mr. Brunner turned his sympathetic gaze to me, and I nodded, leaving to go after Percy. When I got outside, I saw Nancy Bobofit talking to Percy and Grover, who were perched on the edge of the fountain. Grover had peanut butter smeared over his pants, and I saw Percy get madder than I had ever seen him before.

Percy didn't touch her, but suddenly, Nancy was in the fountain. How she got there, though, was not as simple. The water seemed to come alive and grab her, pulling her into the fountain. Nancy sat there in shock, and suddenly called out "Percy pushed me!"

Mrs. Dodds was behind him in an instant. They walked off towards the museum, and I looked at Mr. Brunner. He was still parked underneath a red umbrella, but now his eyes were focused on me. He nodded toward Percy and Mrs. Dodds and I followed them.

Mrs. Dodds led Percy through the museum toward the Greek-Roman section. Mrs. Dodds stopped in front of the statue of Kronos eating his kids. Percy stood behind her, looking extremely uncomfortable. It was really awkward to be alone with a teacher. Especially Mrs. Dodds.

"You've been making things hard for us, honey," Mrs. Dodds snarled, her voice even more malicious than usual. She turned around. The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

"I'll- I'll try harder, ma'am," Percy stuttered. I couldn't see his face, but he was trembling ever so slightly.

Thunder boomed outside.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson. It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you'll suffer less pain."

Percy shook his head, and I wondered what he had done.

"Well?!?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't…"

"Your time is up," she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice Percy to ribbons.

Then things got even stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"What ho, Cleo!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at Percy.

With a yelp, Percy dodged and I saw talons slice right through the spot his head had just occupied. I snatched the ballpoint pen out o the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword- Mr. Brunner's Bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.

My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sward.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

And she flew straight at me.

Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow owder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying schreech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.

Percy and I were alone.

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but us.

My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.

Had I imagined the whole thing? The look in Percy's eyes convinced me otherwise.

We went back outside.

It had started to rain

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw us, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

Percy said, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

Percy asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, "Who?"

But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at either of us, so I thought he was messing with us. Apparently, Percy did, too.

"Not funny, man," Percy told him. "This is serious."

Thunder boomed overhead.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.

I went over to him. Percy followed.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Miss Williams."

I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.

"Sir," Percy said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared blankly at Percy. "Who?"

"The other chaperone," I said, "Mrs. Dodds. The algebra teacher."

He frowned and sat forward looking mildly concerned. "There is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you two feeling all right?"


End file.
